My Views on the Incident at Riverview

Teacher suspended after student putdown
A St. Louis area teacher has been suspended with pay after being overheard remarking that her dog Â?is smarter and cleaner than most of the children we teach.Â?

The Riverview Gardens High School teacher supposedly made the remark shortly before a school board meeting Tuesday night, after the teacher was told the dog she brought along could not be allowed inside.

What the article doesn't say is why the teacher was suspended. According to the morning DJ's, (and believe me, they're all talking about this)she was suspended because her remark was "racist".
And that, in a nutshell, shows the problem with St. Louis.

First off, what kind of dweeb tries to bring her dog to a school board meeting? Secondly, her comment was "racist" because she's white; while most of her students are black. She did not mention race in her comment. I think it was rude, but not racist. I think it's appropriate that she be suspended. We don't need teachers like that, thank you so much. As a matter of fact, I think she should have been suspended without pay. Perhaps she might learn to think before she speaks. (or think before she totes her dog around)
But no, I don't think her comment had anything to do with race. I had to do with anger, and feeling slighted, and even embarrassment at being told her dog couldn't come inside. She directed her frustration at her students; and even though they were not there to hear it, her lashing out was unacceptable. But it wasn't racist.

How can we put an end to racism, when people are actively looking for racist remarks? Finger pointing and calling others wrong while sitting on a high horse will never correct a situation. Perhaps making racism something shameful was the right way to start, but haven't we moved beyond that by now? Isn't it time to see people as people?